Steep Canyon Rangers will headline the Music on the Mountain Bluegrass Festival this weekend at Northeast Alabama Community College in Rainsville.
The band was named Emerging Artist of the Year in 2006 at the International Bluegrass Music Association awards and picked up another two nominations in 2008, including Album of the Year for "Lovin' Pretty Women."
This year, their song "Mourning Dove," from the 2009 album "Deep in the Shade," is an IBMA finalist for Instrumental Recorded Performance.
In a posting on their website last week, the musicians reported being at work in the studio with actor/comedian/musician Steve Martin "laying down tracks for the first-ever collaborative CD."
"After 56 stage appearances together (and three TV spots) since 2009, the six musicians will finally make a record ... which will contain more than a dozen songs by Mr. Martin, arranged by the group."
This is the third year for Music on the Mountain, which celebrates the rich musical heritage of Northeast Alabama. Music will kick off at 6 tonight with a jam session led by Bent Creek and Foggy Hollow. Admission is free, but a ticket is required.
Saturday features entertainment by Valley Road, Bent Creek, Kelli Johnson, Foggy Hollow, Bluegrass Boulevard and Walker Street Opry. The regional bands will start playing at 1 p.m. Steep Canyon Rangers are expected to take the stage at 7 p.m. (all times are Central). Concerts take place in the Tom Bevill Lyceum on campus. Tickets are $20 at the gate.
Northeast Alabama Community College is at 138 Alabama Highway 35 (Lowell Barron Highway). It is 13 miles west of the I-59 intersection (Exit 218) in Fort Payne.
For more information, call Susan Barron at 256-638-4418, ext. 248, or e-mail barrons@nacc.edu. Or visit the college's website, www.nacc.edu.